Israel indicts Jewish extremists in arson attack that killed Palestinian toddler, parents

An Israeli police commander in the West Bank said the indictments follow a “highly complex investigation”. Another son survived but was left badly burned.

Israeli police have charged two suspects over an arson attack on a Palestinian family’s home in the West Bank which killed a toddler and his parents.

An 18-month-old toddler, Ali, immediately died.

The main suspect behind the attack was named as Amiram Ben-Uliel, 21, while a minor was charged as an accessory.

The worldwide community, Israeli and Palestinian leaders condemned the attack as Israeli authorities vowed to crack down on Jewish extremism.

“It is now clear that these acts were perpetrated by a fringe group of anarchists bent on destroying the State of Israel and the freedom and justice that it represents”, it said in a statement.

“We are questioning the capability and competence of Israeli law”. Three others were also charged Sunday with racist attacks on Arab persons or property.

Saad’s brother Naser was unconvinced by Israel’s commitment to the prosecution.

“It’s clear the Israeli institutions are not serious”, he said.

An attorney for several of the suspects, Itamar Ben Gvir, himself a well-known extremist activist, said the testimonies of the suspects were obtained through illegal torture. The attackers also spray-painted “Vengeance” and “long live the Messiah” on the burnt house and eyewitnesses saw four men fleeing into a nearby settlement. The Jewish extremists have been linked to what’s referred to in Israel as “price tag” attacks on Palestinians, mosques and churches, pro-peace Israelis and the military.

According to a senior official from Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security agency who was quoted by Israeli radio, the suspects belong to a “terrorist organization” that does not recognize the state of Israel and which calls for the establishment of a Jewish “kingdom” based on the provisions of Jewish scripture.

A court-imposed gag order remains in effect on the Duma investigation.